Did you know that alligators have hops?
Maybe not all of them do, but if you get one angry enough with a drone, they are able to burst out of the water like nobody’s business.
In this video from what appears to be Brazil, we see what is probably a caiman’s head poke out from the calm waters as a drone flies very closely above. It is unclear whether or not the people videoing this “Gator vs. Drone” showdown are piloting the drone, but based on their reaction later in the video, it is probably safe to say that they are.
Caimans are medium-sized to large-sized crocodilians, who are commonly found in Central and South America. They are similar in appearance to alligators, with a broad, rounded snout and armored skin.
Caimans are carnivorous and feed on a variety of prey including fish, small mammals, birds, and reptiles. They are important predators in their ecosystems and help to regulate populations of their prey.
Crocodiles, gators and caimans (all in the same order) are actually well-known for being able to emerge from the water like this, and most often utilize the skill to attack animals and birds sitting in low hanging trees over the water.
The scary part is that they can seemingly be incredibly still right before they jump, which often times can catch prey off guard.
Once the caiman has its eyes set on an object, it quickly moves its tail (and body) like a snake, and the movement quickly and impressively propels them out of the water. If they’re close enough to the bottom, they can use their strong tails to push their body up out of the water.
The movement and subsequent jump from the water can happen in a fraction of a second, just like it is shown in this viral video.
Croc, gators and caimans are only able to jump like this while they are submerged in the water and have rarely been known to jump vertically while on land.
In the video, the caiman gets bothered by the drone and calculates the exact right time to strike. It is not known if the prehistoric creature mistook the low flying drone for a bird, but one thing that is for certain is that it is fed up with the flying object’s bulls**t.
The caiman intimidatingly bursts out of the water and chomps at the drone, which retreats higher up into the air just in the nick of time. The sharp teeth just barely miss the drone, and the massive reptile crashes back into the water below without the drone.
Those who closely witnessed the drone’s close call are heard laughing as the massive reptile disappears back into the water. Pretty easy to laugh from a distance…
Let’s hope the big fella doesn’t hear the laughs making fun of its failure, because if it did, he is going to be on one hell of a revenge tour.
